


Wishes Are for Fairy Tales

by Akarui_Yoru



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Pre-Canon, Alternate Universe - Twins, Canon-Typical Violence, Dying Will Flames (Katekyou Hitman Reborn!), Flame Lore (Katekyou Hitman Reborn!), Gen, Hopefully it won’t get dark, M/M, Multi, OC is already tired of the bullshit, Original Arcs, Sibling Bonding, Xanxus is also tired, i promise nothing, oc is a little shit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-17
Updated: 2020-03-19
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:09:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22283143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akarui_Yoru/pseuds/Akarui_Yoru
Summary: The past has been altered, the deck has been changed. So the dice is rolled and a new player joins the game.The story that happened once is bound to repeat.———————He knows he’s not supposed to exist. But then again fate is a cruel mistress and all that, so he’s probably going to die young anyways.‘Oh dear universe, couldn’t you have you given me someone that’s not a villain?’At least he looks adorable.
Relationships: Xanxus (Katekyou Hitman Reborn!) & Original Character(s)
Comments: 42
Kudos: 377
Collections: A Collection of Beloved Inserts, Reincarnation and Transmigration





	1. Chapter 1

The first time he heard his brother’s name, he was two years old. His limbs are a bunch of uncoordinated mess and he can’t do anything with them, so he tries to think but it hurts his head - though after hearing that name, everything seemed to stop and clicked and he doesn’t get it.

So he cries.

Of course, someone shouts at him and he stays quiet but the horrible feeling persists.

It never quite fades either.

* * *

He was four when it suddenly hit him why he dreaded his brother’s name - quite literally, he was sure it was a tree branch that hit him and he’s pretty sure that his head is going to bruise over this - and this time he cries from horror.

Of course, his brother comes to see what’s wrong and seeing his twin’s face just made him cry louder.

His brother’s name is Xanxus. His _twin_ brother. He’s related to _Xanxus_.

He’s not supposed to exist but he does and that either means he’s going to die soon or he’s in a shitty fanfiction because he doesn’t remember Xanxus having a twin.

_(Or maybe he’s in an alternate universe, but that’s just the same as a shitty fanfiction anyways.)_

Then the source of his little existential crisis runs over and looks at him in a mixture or worry and annoyance and he can’t help but lament his fate.

_Oh dear universe, couldn’t you have given me someone that’s not a villain?_

* * *

_Oh well, at least I look adorable_.

Because if he _is_ going to die, he’s glad it’s when he looks adorable, though he’d prefer it without the messy bandage on his head but at least he’s still cute.

_(Or maybe it’s not a fanfic and someone really named their kid Xanxus... yeah probably not but a kid can wish.)_

Xanxus grumbles about him being a dumb shit _(ok that wasn’t the exact words but it’s the thought that counts)_ as he slams the drawer with the bandage stuff and turns to him and huffs and somehow the boy is cute and it feels like a universal crime for the boy to be this cute because he’s supposed to be a villain.

His twin glares at him with large red eyes and his cheeks makes it look like a pout instead of being angry and he wants to pinch those cheeks so badly but he’s sure Xanxus is going to bite his hand off for trying.

Before they could do anything, their mother - then again the woman is kinda batshit insane and all she does is yell at them so he’s pretty sure it’s offensive to all the actual mothers out there if he calls her mom so he will now refer to her as crazy old hag - comes in and starts yelling at them two for being loud and stuff and honestly, he tuned out everything she said.

The sound of her slamming the door close as she leaves brought him back to his senses and ah so that’s where Xanxus got the whole slamming things close.

They really need to stop that, the house isn’t exactly stable and he’d prefer not to live in a house with broken everything with their constant slamming. He’s pretty sure their bedroom door is going to break any day now.

He gave the door a middle finger - he can’t really chase after the crazy old hag so like oh well this is the best he could do - and Xanxus just looks at him with this face that says ‘are you fucking serious?’

He should be worried that he’s cursing a lot because he’s sure that the Xanxus in front of him has no idea what the words mean because they’re four years old and no normal four year olds should know what fuck means. 

But then again, he’s 80% sure he has lived before so technically he’s four plus whatever age he was previously when he died. The other 20% is him wishing this was a delusion but unfortunately they have a shitty mother and Xanxus’ name is Xanxus so that’s two points against him already.

“Xerxes.”

Oh right, his name is Xerxes… which sounds cool and all but like it sounds like an old person’s name too and he’d much prefer a cuter name.

“Oi.” 

Ah right, Xanxus is there too.

“Thank you, Fratello!” He feels his mouth form a wide grin as he tries to stand up from their bed.

Only to fall face first onto the floor because oh yeah, his head’s a mess and he probably shouldn’t stand up. _(But he’s four so technically he’s supposed to be a dumb little shit anyways.)_

He feels the footsteps more than he hears it and he feels two hands pulling on his shoulders to help him sit on the ground and he sees the panic and worry in Xanxus’ red eyes and he finds Xanxus more and more adorable and precious but he knows that the guy’s going to be a murderer in the future and it feels like watching a train wreck about to happen.

Xerxes smiles anyways and laughs and lets his brother help him because might as well let Xanxus be nice to him while the boy’s still nice and pure.

After all, it’s not going to last that long anyways.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited on 2 February 2020
> 
> Based on Guest’s criticism

Palermo might not necessarily be a tourist’s attraction. Sure the fruits are colourful and Xerxes quiet enjoys walking around the vegetable markets  _ (because frankly, he can’t stand the stench of fish) _ , but there’s no denying that Palermo is a dumpster fire of a city - quite literally. He’s pretty sure they just passed through some dried up dog shit along the roadways.

Heck, they lived next to a guy who would regularly bragged about how he ripped off gullible tourists, and he would also tell stories of people he knows stealing jewelry off of people.

_ (He still likes them, especially Franco, the guy may be kind of a loony in the head and sure he’s a criminal and all, but he makes pretty good food. _

_ Also it’s nice to have someone to use as an example to tell Xanxus that they deserve better than the shit life had given them. Really, they deserve a better life than this.) _

It’s a dumpster fire of a city, but it’s also their playground, it’s their turf. Which also means, they know it  _ well _ .

Now, Xerxes might not be a bad person  _ (he thinks he’s not that bad. He hasn’t killed anyone, and he managed to stop himself from killing the crazy old hag, so really he’s pretty good of a person in his opinion.)  _ but there’s really not many things you can do when you’re a four year old living in the slums with a house that’s gonna crash on them soon  _ (he’s predicting a couple of months from now) _ . 

Heck, he can’t get a decent shower because the house he lives in can barely be considered one.

_ (At least he’s not living in a tent. Oh fuck, if Xanxus is going to get his magic fire soon, that stupid old house better last for years because Xanxus - despite being adorable - is still a four year old, and four year old with fire living in a tent just spells out chaos to everyone involved - which unfortunately means him.) _

_ (Ok the old hag too, but she doesn’t really count. She spends most of her time outside anyways doing who knows what.) _

He’s not a bad guy, but he’s not a  _ saint _ . 

Which is why he’s now at the intersection of Via Maqueda and Corso Vittorio Emanuele because it’s a Sunday afternoon and this place is a landmine for tourists and he’s a four year old kid with a bandage on his head and quite possibly some brain damage.

_ (The loud crowd rang loudly in his head that it actually made him sick and almost impossible to focus on the crowds. The sun is too bright too - even more so than usual. It’s actually a huge possibility that he has an actual problem. _

_ Oh well.) _

Xerxes knows he’s a dumb little shit, but hey at least he knows how to get money.

So he makes Xanxus stay in an alley quite far from his location - because Xanxus may be a child but he still has pride - and Xerxes takes off the bandage from his head and lets the world see his bruising head in all of its glory and does what he’s been doing pretty often.

He starts bawling his eyes out.

Now, if Xerxes was a prideful person like Xanxus, he might be embarrassed right now. But he’s dressed in his Sunday best, in a busy section of Palermo, and he has a mission.

And before long people start flocking him, looking in worry. Older people with kind eyes asking him ‘what’s wrong?’ and ‘are you okay?’ and Xerxes makes sure to cover his mouth to hide the grin forming on his face.

Oh how he loves tourists. No matter how careful they are with scammers, no one can really ignore a crying,  _ injured, _ helpless child.

So he spins a little tale for them, oh boo hoo look at this poor child who tripped and hurt his little head! He went to buy medicine but forgot to bring money because he’s a stupid little kid!

Xerxes came in with an empty pocket and a bruised head, but he comes out with a pocket full of cash, food for days, and a new clean bandage along with some medicine because adults are such nice and gullible people.

Though he still has a bruised head, so meh you can’t win everything.

At least he has medicine… maybe he should sell them to some of the adults back in the slums, he’s sure he can get some good money.

_ (But it’s best to keep them, who knows when the old hag’s gonna snap and attack them. Better to keep their resources and all that.) _

He let his little legs walk him through the alleyways of Palermo and meets up with Xanxus, who looks at the money and food in awe before they both move to a safer location to count the money.

_ (He says ‘they’, but really, it’s just him because Xanxus doesn’t know how to write or read or count and the crazy old hag is a shit parental figure.) _

Xerxes is very much aware that maybe  _ he’ _ s the one influencing Xanxus’ bad habits. But they live in a house with no gas, no electricity, and no bathrooms, so at this point he doesn’t give a shit.

At least he can one day say he helped make someone a strong ruthless murderer.

With around €60 in his pocket, the twins goes to the market because lord knows the old hag has her head too deep in her ass to remember feeding them.

They bought a couple of apples, a large loaf of bread and some tangerines with €55 to spare because Xanxus is a master at haggling despite how quiet and constantly angry he is.

Also they’re  _ four _ . People are kinder to kids than they are to anything, well  _ clean _ kids anyways.

_ (Xerxes learned very quickly that people are kinder to kids, though nothing will keep anyone from despising you if you looked like you have nothing. The goal for surviving in the slums is to  _ **_not_ ** _ look like you live in the slums.) _

And they got some cheese too so Xerxes is a very happy kid, all things considered.

* * *

By the time Xerxes is seven years old, he realizes just how stupid and utterly terrifying an unstable person is.

Humans are predictable creatures, they are merely cogs in the set design that is called the universe.

So someone like the crazy old hag is very much a boogie monster to him.

_ (What does it say about him then? To willingly still live under the same roof as this unstable ticking bomb?) _

The universe proves him right when Xanxus  _ lights his hands on fire _ and the crazy old hag somehow connects it to them being the children of a mafia boss.

There is no logical explanation of how they went from a magical seven year old with fire to children of mob boss, but it is quite entertaining to see the old hag rave on and on about her ‘being right all along’ and them being powerful and being the ticket to her earning money.

_ (Xanxus believes it too but he’s a kid, so it’s forgivable.) _

An unstable person is terrifying, but they are quite enjoyable to watch.

_ (If they’re all just cogs in a set design, then unstable people are hammers about to give said carefully placed gears a good whack. Ready to destroy anything in their path. Despite the destruction, it is quite entertaining to watch.) _

The part of Xerxes that laments over this development weeps quietly because there goes his last hope of this being some elaborate joke set up by the universe. But a bigger part of Xerxes is just happy that they’re going to have showers now.

And lights too. Lord knows he’s going to ruin his eyesight by reading in the dark.

So off they go, dressed in one of their old shirts and covered in quite the amount of dirt while the air is cold  _ (not that the old hag noticed because she’s too busy being crazy to notice anything these days) _ , as the crazy old hag drags their ass off to a different part of Sicily with money that she hid from the both instead of - oh I don’t know, being a good mother and giving them decent clothing and food? Or school, that’s probably important too.

By some power that Xerxes is unaware of  _ (one he likes to call ‘plot convenience’)  _ the crazy old hag manages to somehow find the boss of Vongola.

He may poke fun on the old hag sometimes, but damn she’s terrifying when she’s trying to prove a point.

Xerxes stares at Timoteo as he looks at Xanxus and his flames and he knows that the man is a criminal and the Vongola is a crime syndicate. But really, he’s going to end up murdering the old hag one of these days with how annoying and neglectful she is. So when Timoteo turns to him, he smiles and relaxed his shoulders and bows a little as he introduces himself to the old man.

_ (If his voice ends up being more harmonious than normal, well that’s for him to know and only him.) _

The day ends with the crazy old had getting promises of riches and money  _ (which begs the question, does this count as child trafficking?) _ and a scarf wrapped around both of their necks as they’re taken away and Xerxes is quite sure that this means his life is going to change for the worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tbh?? 11 kudos? That’s way more than I ever expected from an OC fic lol. I already have several finished chapters for this fic because tbh I write this fic most often to relax and wind down from my series, but I’m still trying to figure out a schedule.
> 
> I decided to place Xanxus and Xerxes in Palermo because that was the only place I know that had slums because I had to do a research on it for school, also I know people who either enjoyed or hated the place so I decided to put them there.
> 
> I’m working on a KHR PV currently, so writing my fics will take a while, but I hope I can have a consistent updating schedule soon!
> 
> https://discord.gg/whXwU8k


	3. Chapter 3

Seeing the mansion for the first time was amazing, of course the realization that oh yeah he’s part of a crime syndicate ruined that almost immediately.

At least no more broken doors?

It sours even further as they’re both greeted by curious and calculating eyes that seemed to watch their every move. Whispers and veiled scrutiny follows them with each step they take. It was only one man that dared to step forward to question who they were.

“They’re my sons.”

_ No we’re not. _

Because Timoteo is a soft man, he oozes kindness when he smiles, his eyes are warm. Xanxus and Xerxes are sharp. Little children seething with something that was much darker.

He knows the crazy old hag was lying, Xerxes knows that Timoteo is aware that Xanxus is really the only one other than the crazy old hag that truly believes it _ ,  _ but they both accept it for the same reason. Because no matter the place, power and money are valuable.

So Xerxes decides the moment he saw Timoteo that the man would never his father, but at least he can use the old man’s money.

It really does make him feel uncomfortable seeing Xanxus like the man. Xanxus looked like he was ready to kill and bleed for this man, he looks at Timoteo as if he had hung the stars and despite the smile on Xerxes’ face, his mouth feels bitter.

* * *

Whoever said money can’t buy you happiness clearly lack experience in life because the shift from the slums to this feels  _ amazing _ .

Though Xanxus did look pissed off, he kept grumbling about it under his breath as they both were escorted to their separate room. But Xerxes and Xanxus always had different priorities anyways.

_ (And seriously, how can Xanxus even be mad? They have electricity now, they have  _ **_bathrooms_ ** _ inside their rooms! No more going out for baths! They have separate rooms! Different beds!) _

They had been told about what to expect being Vongola Nono’s sons. They’ve been told of the standards they must achieve - to strive to be on the same level as the other three sons. Their education has been entrusted to tutors coming in the following days, they were given personal maids as he excused himself to do whatever it is mob boss does.

Interaction with his so called “family” seems to only come from this family dinners that Timoteo briefly mentioned and even then Xerxes is quite sure it’s just going to be another round of fake smiles and judging eyes.

However, Xerxes is quite happy with it. After all the less they see the man, the better. He doesn’t need Xanxus to be close to the man.

Really, he is very happy with this. He understands Timoteo even better now as he practically distanced his own supposed ‘sons’ away from him. They’re taken into his family, but they will never be a part of it.

Timoteo always touches them with gloves on his hands and that already speak more than any words could. No skin-to-skin contact, no forming of an emotional bond. But Xerxes still get to live a life of luxury. Exactly what Xerxes wanted, now all he had to do was to rescue his dear brother from the delusion of Timoteo being their father - because as much as he fears his brother’s fire, Xanxus is still his older brother. So he is unfortunately obligated to rescue him.

Which is probably going to be a lot harder than it needs to be because he doubts anything will ever be easy when he’s in the mafia.

* * *

Xerxes hates that he’s right.

Usually he’ll gloat about it for days - especially to the arrogant older kids back in the slums - but really for once he wished the universe decided to prove him wrong.

Because not long after Xerxes got time to himself, a maid knocked insistently on his door and pretty much dragged him away to get him all cleaned up  _ (and boy that was a very mortifying experience.)  _ and then he had to keep on trying clothes after clothes.

He doesn’t really get the whole ‘good fit’ thing - anything better than his old clothes would suffice, and his clothes all had holes that he had to patch up by himself so literally  _ anything _ they offer is better.

Of course, the maid did see the patches on the clothes and tried to make small talk by asking if his ‘mom’ did it for him.

Really, these people need to learn that he grew up poor. Not incompetent.

_ (The idea of the old hag doing anything for them is outright laughable, she forgets to even do basic things for herself - why would she bother with her supposed kids.) _

So after that disastrous attempt at a conversation, they both sat in an uncomfortable silence as the maid tried to get him into a supposed ‘better’ shirt.

_ At least I can talk to Xanxus after this. _

* * *

The good news is that he did get to somewhat talk to Xanxus. The bad news that it was during the dreaded family dinner - and as much as Xerxes wants to tell Xanxus the truth, he can’t do it in front of these people.

He can’t really just blurt out ‘oh yeah we’re  _ not _ your sons, I just want your money!’.... he has self preservation skills.

They both sat next to each other, right across Timoteo’s sons - with said man himself sitting at the head of the table - and once again Xerxes notes how they’re both separated from the other three even though they were all supposed to be Timoteo’s ‘sons’.

_ (Being in the slums had taught Xerxes to notice details and it’s reassuring to know that he’ll still need that skill in life.) _

He makes this particular dinner a time to observe his supposed ‘brothers’  _ (well that and trying to figure out which fork to use and kicking Xanxus’ legs under the table when the other boy used the wrong one - which always results in Xanxus kicking back and glaring at him.)  _ and it seems he was partially right about family dinners being a place for judging eyes.

Enrico - the oldest of Timoteo’s son - mostly ignored them. He talked mostly to Timoteo and Massimo, talking about business and work that Xerxes has no chance of understanding. Sometimes, his eyes glanced over them for a brief moment and he looks at them with uncertainty before returning to his talk with the other two.

Massimo - the youngest of the three - spends most of the dinner time to scoff at them every time they make a mistake  _ (and really, it’s not their fault. There’s an unreasonable amount of utensils on the table, just get one of each sheesh.)  _ and the rest of it to agree with everything Timoteo say - nodding his head every so often.

Though nothing really prepared him for Federico - the man spent the entire dinner either staring at them in curiosity or ogling at the maids  _ (well, their asses anyways)  _ while downing some alcohol. He smiles fondly at them when Xerxes kicks Xanxus under the table whenever the others changed forks and knives, and tried to talk to them a few times.

Timoteo did act nice towards them - an act Xerxes begrudgingly returned with his own act despite the bastard Massimo sneering at him for every time he and Xanxus open their mouth.

_ (It got even more awkward when Federico elbowed the bastard and Enrico just looks like he doesn’t want to be in the room at that point and damn he can relate to that so much.) _

Family dinners is just an all around awkward situation and Xerxes would rather choose to not be a part of it ever again which is a shame because the food is fucking amazing.

Oh well, at least Xanxus was adorable, even if Federico is creeping him out.

* * *

The maids reappear to take them to their rooms and at that point, Xerxes was too drained to even try and talk to Xanxus because the other boy actually looked happy  _ (hopefully from the food)  _ and despite the calm smile on Xerxes’ face, he really really wants to pull his hair out and he’s just tired from all the fake smiles and niceties and at this point he just wants to  _ sleep _ because he can’t take the inevitable debate with Xanxus for when he tells the boy the truth right now.

At least he didn’t have to act nice  _ all _ the time back in the slums. He didn’t have to think over his words before he speaks.

It was then that he almost stopped right in his tracks with a sinking feeling in his stomach.

_ This is just the first night. _

Lord help him, he’s probably going to snap if this keeps going on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finished this chapter a while back and posted the doc link on the discord server lol, but I edited a bit before posting it here~
> 
> Slowly writing the next chapters while working on a KHR PV and on my other fics as well~
> 
> https://discord.gg/whXwU8k


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know things has been rather rough lately in the world, so hopefully a little update will cheer someone up!

Xerxes woke up early the next day, no he _forced_ himself to get out of bed by 5 AM _(the things he does for his brother is astounding. He deserves a pat on the back!)_ because this time he’ll go out and wake Xanxus up - maybe dodge Xanxus’ tantrum over being woken up way too early _(which was reasonable. Not appreciated but understandable.)_ \- and tell him that Timoteo is not their father.

But he didn’t take the maids possibly being ninjas into account, because he opened the door to sneak out and a fucking maid is already standing outside his door and _why the fuck are you here-_

It’s 5 AM! It should be a crime to be awake at this hour! An even worse crime for someone to look so fresh this early!

The maid greeted him and he quickly masked his annoyance with a practiced smile as he allowed her to go into his room. The maid opened the closet doors and took out a set of clothes and laid them on the bed before turning back to him, “Breakfast will be ready in 15 minutes, please take this time-“

Oh he definitely saw the way she eyed his messy hair. Fuck you too ninja maid, not everyone can look perfect!

“-to freshen yourself. I will be waiting outside your room in case you require my help.”

And with that she excused herself and Xerxes stares at her even until she leaves the room.

This has to be some weird power play, there is no other reason he’ll accept now. Why else is the maid there outside his door at 5 AM? This is definitely some weird way to tell them that Timoteo has more power than them or some shit-

_(Okay, maybe he’s overreacting and maybe - just maybe - Timoteo isn’t that bad of a guy. But he just woke up early for nothing, that’s just not fair!)_

Xerxes was actually very tempted by the idea of just jumping straight back to bed. In fact he almost did so until he remembered the maid mentioning breakfast.

_Stay up for food… or go to bed… food… bed…_

He sighed and dragged his feet to the bathroom to take a cold shower.

There are better times to spite the adults, he’ll back down… for now. There’s food involved after all.

* * *

The previous maid - one he now dubs Maid A - just cringed as he scarf down his food and Xerxes would be offended but food is food and there’s no one important in the room so he doesn’t need to act like he knew how the fuck to eat like some snobbish rich person.

But he still decided to make obnoxiously loud chewing noises just because he can… that and Maid A’s face is too funny.

The other’s hand carefully brushed his hair as he sat down to eat and started talking about schedules and stuff that he particularly didn’t care about until he heard that he needed to meet with a tutor right after he finished eating and Xerxes actually stopped eating at that one.

Timoteo had said it would take days to get a tutor for them. He just said that the day before.

Alarm bells seemed to ring loudly in his head as he shoved more food into his mouth when he noticed the maid’s pace changed.

He had lied to them, and Xerxes had been stupid enough to believe him. Oh how foolish of him, no matter how soft the man is, he’s still a mobster. Xerxes can’t believe he already forgot one of the most important rules of living on the streets.

_(Trust is for fools. Even if someone was nice to you the day before, it doesn’t mean that they’ll be nice again. Just because someone helped you once, doesn’t mean it’ll happen again.)_

Xerxes slowly swallowed the last of his breakfast and was about to wipe his mouth with his sleeves until Maid A quickly intercepted by handing him a folded cloth.

“So when will I see Xanxus?”

The other woman moved to put the brush away and stayed quiet - watching his every move and Xerxes did the same to her.

Dammit Timoteo, dammit ninja maid. Now his morning is ruined. Yay! Woohoo! He wasted precious sleeping time.

“That is not something I know.”

Which he interpreted as ‘not until Timoteo lets you’ and fuck that answer.

“Okay, I’ll go meet him now-“

“You can’t.” Maid A’s words immediately cut off his and ah there it is. The slight change of tone in her voice. He had hit the jackpot. “You do not have enough time to visit your brother.”

Xerxes tilted his head - his hair swaying as he did so and huh his hair seemed softer than before - and let his eyes widened slightly. The edges of his mouth pulled down slightly to form a small frown.

“There is still fifteen minutes before I am scheduled to meet my tutor. I’m sure I can go greet Xanxus first. He’s very cranky when someone wakes him up, I should probably do it.”

He watched as the older woman straightened her back ever so slightly and watched him with the same intensity. “That may be true, however it takes approximately 10 minutes to go there and it is better to be early than late, is it not?”

Oh no, he’s not going to lose to her. He let his eyebrows furrowed and formed a pout - the image of an annoying little boy.

“His room isn’t far from here. I’m sure it won’t take that long.”

Before the other could retort to that, there was a quiet ring that echoed in the room and Xerxes had to try very hard to not just bolt out of the room.

Her fingers moved and she took out a pocket watch _(seriously? Who still uses those? He hasn’t seen one since he was six when he pickpocketed a guy with Xanxus… even then it didn’t really sell for much anyways.)_ and her eyes quickly flashed with something he can’t understand before she pocketed it back and announced that they needed to leave now.

Xerxes curses internally. Stupid watch, that was definitely going to be his win. At least he won’t be with the ninja maid now.

The universe hates him. Good, because he hates it back because fuck he can’t believe he’s saying this but he’d rather take the ninja maid than the man in front of him.

“Write it again.”

_Fuck you_.

He tried to carefully schooled his face to hide his annoyance. Emphasize on ‘tried’. Because Timoteo had oh so graciously informed the man that Xerxes already knew how to do basic math and how to read and write.

So now he’s being told to write a self introduction on the piece of paper in front of him and that would be fine… if only he didn’t have to write it for the past hour because ‘your handwriting is atrocious!’

“With all due respect-“ _(which really amounts to none)_ “-I’ve been writing this for an hour. Why don’t we move on?”

The older man - and really he didn’t even look like a teacher. He had the build of a bear, Xerxes refuses to believe that this man is just a tutor - just kept staring at him with the same cold gaze as he regarded Xerxes. 

“We would've moved on if your handwriting wasn’t this bad! I thought you already knew how to write!”

This time, he can’t stop himself from rolling his eyes. “I really don’t see how a bad handwriting will affect me studying.”

He folded his arms across his chest as the other man scrunched up his nose in annoyance. “You’re Don Vongola’s son. You need to have good handwriting. What would everyone think if the son of Vongola’s boss had terrible handwriting?”

Quite frankly, Xerxes couldn’t care less what other people think of him. If he did, he wouldn’t spend a good portion of his life crying and acting like a dumb kid on the streets. But that’s not really the point. He just wants to learn something that’s actually useful instead of writing the same thing over and over for hours.

A sigh tore through the silence that filled the room as Mr.Bear - stupid nickname but he already forgot the man’s name - massaged his temples. “They would think that you are uneducated and that would affect Vongola’s reputation.”

Xerxes just… blinked. Really there was nothing he could do. Because that’s just so… stupid.

As long as you can read the words then it should all be the same - who cares if it’s slanted or messy or whatever.

His face probably reflected what he was thinking because Mr.Bear just tapped the table with a ruler and told him to ‘just start writing.’

Picking up the pen, Xerxes wrote down the sentence again and could barely contain his annoyance as he gripped the pen tighter. As he wrote down the word, his mind was already on the next one and his hand is trying to catch up and the words just became - as Mr.Bear put it - ‘atrocious’.

Before Mr.Bear opened his mouth, Xerxes just groaned and started writing the sentence again before the man could say anything.

The words once again came out wrong. The letters are too sharp, there’s too much space between the words and at the end of each word the letter just all starts to connect too closely.

His eye twitch as he took another piece of paper and started writing it again - ignoring the ache in his hand as he wrote the sentence again. This time slightly better than before as he slowed down due to the pain.

Mr.Bear watched closely and stared at him with his finger on his chin - deep in thought - as Xerxes quickly filled half a page.

“If you promised to practice more later on your own, I can move on to something else later after lunch.”

“Yes please!”

It took all of his willpower to not slump on his chair and throw the pen away because _fucking finally._

Mr.Bear looked amused as he collected the papers and set them aside and for once, Xerxes thinks he might be able to get along with someone in this damn place.

But before Mr.Bear could start the lesson, someone knocked on the door and let themself into the room and yep, the universe definitely hated him.

Federico sent an apologetic look at Mr.Bear as he closed the door - both of his hands pressed together in front of his face as he gave a slightly nervous smile.

“Good morning, Signore Federico. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

The creep took long strides towards them as he rolled his eyes and scoffed at Mr.Bear.

“Oh cut it out Roberto. You don’t need to act so stiff just because my little brother is here.”

Federico tried to pat him on the head and yeah no, only Xanxus can do that. So he moved away as the hand was close - much to the surprise of Federico and the amusement of Mr.Bear _(and yep, he’s starting to like Mr.Bear.)_

Shaking his head, Federico pulled back - though there was a smile on his face. “Yo, Roberto. I’m going to borrow him for a bit, okay?”

Mr.Bear frowned and this time it was his turn to cross his arms. “Federico, Xerxes is only supposed to leave for lunch. He needs to lear-“

“Yeah, yeah,” Federico waved a hand in front of his face. “But c’mon. The kid just arrived yesterday. Give him a break!”

Mr.Bear put down the ruler and stared at the pile of paper filled with Xerxes’ handwriting. 

Xerxes watched in curiosity as his eyes darted between the two men and he started weighing the pros and cons.

On one hand, he is getting tired of being in the same room - seriously, at least he and Xanxus got to run around the streets before - but on the other, it’s Federico.

He’d rather take Massimo or Enrico. At least they’re not creepy.

“It’s only 7 AM. I’m supposed to finish teaching him by 10 AM.”

Once again, Federico waved it away. “You need to teach him how to read and write right? Well the kid already knows about it so why not give him a break? You can continue later after lunch!”

A sigh resounded in the room and oh Xerxes knows that sigh - the dreaded sigh of tiredness - very well. It’s the typical sigh that Xanxus gives him whenever Xerxes was too wrapped up in his own schemes to get money.

“You won’t accept until I say yes, will you?”

There was no audible answer, yer Mr.Bear let out another sigh and Xerxes had to bite the inside of his mouth to stop himself from grimacing.

_C’mon Mr.Bear! Please say no!_

“Fine.”

_And to think I was just starting to like you…_

Federico cheered and yeah, he wished he had slept in instead this morning.

* * *

As the two made their way down the hallway, Xerxes had to fight the urge to roll his eyes as Federico kept winking and flirting with the passing maids. 

It’s only 7 AM… For once he feels like crying for real. Like actual tears. It’s only been two hours since he woke up and now he has to go through this.

Xerxes glanced around his surroundings. There’s too many people watching his every move, not to mention Federico being there beside him, so he can’t really sneak out to find Xanxus. 

Before he could do anything, Federico leaned closer to him and he had to stop himself from kicking the older man, so he just forced a smile onto his face.

“What is it, Signore Federico?”

The man seemed to almost gag at being called that before he quickly smiled and turned to face a large door - fancier than the ones they just passed - and opened it, leading them to a beautiful fancy garden filled with nice and fancy looking plants and Xerxes would be impressed if he actually cared. Right now he just wants to get this over with.

Federico turned around dramatically and bowed a little bit, offering him a hand that Xerxes promptly ignored in favor of going down the stairs on his own.

There was a quiet chuckle behind him as Federico walked next to him and led him through a walkway lined with fancy arches until they reached what Xerxes assumed was their destination - a wooden dining set - as Federico pulled out a chair and motioned him to sit on it, which he begrudgingly accepted, before sitting across him.

A butler showed up with tea and some biscuits and laid them on the table. Xerxes can only watch as Federico thanked the older man. 

He can’t tell what Federico is thinking, and that’s the worst thing about the man. At least he could somewhat guess what Massimo and Enrico would be thinking. The creep seemed to hide everything behind a smile and Xerxes can’t trust all the expressions he had made prior because Xerxes is pretty sure that there’s definitely more to him than the carefree flirty act the man put up.

“So. What did you bring me here for?”

He could just feel the gaze on him despite the man’s eyes being on the tea cup.

Yep, he really can’t deal with this one.

“I just wanted to talk to my little brother! It’s definitely better than being stuck in that room isn’t it?”

Xerxes would like to argue with that, he’d definitely choose Mr.Bear any day than the creep. Heck he’d rather take the ninja maid.

Federico took a small sip from his tea cup before placing it back onto the table. “Now now, don’t be so shy~ You can drink the tea if you want, it’s not poisoned.” There was a sharp tone behind the cheerful statement and Xerxes decided that yeah, he’d rather not.

“I’m not thirsty.” The smile felt strained - even more so than before - as he closed his eyes and tilted his head slightly.

“Suit yourself.”

There was an awkward silence between them and Xerxes is using this very useful time to look for some escape routes. He would dive into the shrubbery but he’s pretty damn sure there are thorns in it.

Nothing happened afterwards. Which was terrible because they just stared at each other for what seemed like hours even though Xerxes knew it’s definitely only a few minutes and dammit Xerxes should’ve begged Mr.Bear to not accept Federico’s wish.

“Timoteo thinks you’re dangerous.”

Excuse me?

It seems that he said it out loud because Federico couldn’t help but snicker as he leaned forward and placed his crossed arms on the table.

“You heard me. The boss of Vongola thinks you and your brother are a threat.”

A chill ran down through his spine because fuck, Xanxus is alone right now and Xerxes had no idea where he is and-

“Don’t worry, Xanxus is safe.”

Xerxes can’t stop himself from growling at the man. “Why are you telling me this?”

The creep seemed pleased with his anger and smirked, resting his chin on his hand and using the other hand to play with the tea cup. “Father and I currently have a slight disagreement. You see, he thinks Xanxus is the one to watch out for since he has the Sky flames-“ 

_The what flames?_

“- but you captured my interest more.”

“I don’t think that’s something you should tell little kids, I’m sure in some places you’ll be considered a pedo for that.”

A laugh broke out of Federico’s mouth as his body shook with laughter and yeah Xerxes is definitely planning an escape route. He needs to get away from the creep.

But Xanxus is his brother… and his brother’s not with him… _Dammit._

“...Dangerous how?”

Federico calmed himself down and ate one of the biscuits. “Xanxus’ flames. You see, the only ones to use those were Vongola Secondo. Not only that, Father believes that Xanxus’ flames are particularly strong compared to most people, even if he is untrained, and that if he were to go out of control, it would be a danger to the Famiglia.”

‘If he were to go out of control.’ Ha! He called it! It _was_ some power play of sorts. But why would Timoteo think that? They didn’t spend a lot of time with Timoteo, only during dinner and they spent the rest of their times with m-

_Oh_ …

_God, Xerxes you’re an idiot-_

Xerxes leaned back until his back touched the seat and can’t help tapping his finger against his thigh. “Those maids weren’t just there to get us cleaned up were they?”

His blue eyes met hazel eyes. Federico’s gaze seemed to be watching closely, they were intrusive and searching and so _fucking annoying._

It looked like a hunter watching its prey.

_If only that prey wasn’t me-_

“Oh? What makes you think that?”

“We were separated for a reason. The maid with me tried to talk to me. And the one with Xanxus probably did the same.”

And that’s how Timoteo had this idea of him being out of control. Because Xanxus doesn’t really speak. Unlike Xerxes, he keeps his mouth shut unless he needs to. 

However, Xanxus has always been honest with his actions - an endearing thing normally because it made him that much cuter but fuck they can’t afford that in this stupid place - and he was annoyed that Timoteo pretty much ignored them and handed them off to maids.

Not only that they were separated. They were in a new environment, no familiar faces and whatever image Xanxus had of this new life with ‘Father’ ended up being wrong. And Xanxus was probably in less control of his emotions because of that.

“That’s how Timoteo ended up thinking that he was dangerous. Because he’s a kid that was easily annoyed, and I’m the trigger that would affect Xanxus the most because of our relationship - and probably go out of control.”

The man is probably testing the waters. Trying to understand what would trigger Xanxus. It makes sense why the man placed the maid in front of his room and why she was so against him meeting Xanxus.

To be able to use something, you have to know the limits of it. How to control it. What will break it. 

But even so, he should’ve seen Xanxus yesterday. That should’ve been enough shouldn’t it? So why is he continuing this? Does he want to see what Xerxes’ limit is?

“He also said that you would probably tell Xanxus the truth.” Federico just shrugged and took another biscuit and damn Xerxes really can’t tell if Timoteo’s dumb or just paranoid. “He thinks that if he found out Father was lying, Xanxus would get mad and would try to run away or something.”

Ah yes, go ahead and take away Xanxus’ only relative and companion away from him. That definitely won’t piss off Xanxus. Of course, having the _day old lie be exposed is definitely more of a trigger-_

No. That wasn’t it. It’s not just about which of them would be the trigger - this is more than that. That’s right, Xerxes already spent a day being an idiot and he can’t afford to take another wrong step.

_(Fuck, he can practically feel the headache.)_

“So he’s keeping me away so that Timoteo can test how long Xanxus and I can be separated. And so that he makes sure that Xanxus believes he’s really Timoteo’s son so that it’s easier to control him.”

He lifted his head and was slightly taken aback seeing Federico’s face - eyebrows furrowed as if in deep thought as he watched Xerxes - before seeing it break into a grin and he too leaned back in his chair.

“Heh. Looks like I was right after all, you’re definitely the dangerous one.” Despite his words, Federico looked pleased with himself and Xerxes had never wanted to punch someone so bad.

But that didn’t explain one thing. “Why are you telling me this?”

The creep’s face broke into a smile and Xerxes hates the fact that he knows that smile so well considering he’s usually the one to make those vague ass smiles.

Which made him feel so icky and disgusted because he’d rather not have anything connect him to the man in front of him.

“Call it an investment of sorts. I believe that the two of you together is much more beneficial for the Famiglia than what Father’s thinking.”

Which definitely meant ‘I want you to tell Xanxus the truth’ and he’s starting to hate Federico’s guts, but unfortunately they currently have the same goal in mind.

At this rate, his eyes are going to pop out of his eye socket because he has no idea how many times he had rolled his eyes since he woke up. 

Oh great, he traded the crazy old hag for family drama. Xerxes is starting to doubt if the luxury is worth this mess.

“You’re going to let me talk to Xanxus alone?”

The other man nodded and offered his arm. Xerxes stared at it for a moment before he took it.

_(Xanxus better appreciate this, Xerxes practically had a heart attack there.)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finished this weeks ago (so those in the server would probably already read this though I did edit it a bit), but didn’t have time to post since my laptop broke and I lost all my files. Rip
> 
> I have a schedule now, but I’m still busy with art stuff on twitter and redownloading all my laptop’s apps so it’ll take a while before I can actually start following it.
> 
> Also, I wanted to expand more on the mafia and the relations in the Vongola - especially internally. So this is the start of one of the original arcs~
> 
> Think of it like the daily arc of the actual series, but instead it’s set right in the heart of Vongola itself~ Maybe we’ll get to see some familiar faces soon~

**Author's Note:**

> I have a KHR discord server btw, I usually post khr doodles and my fanfics there first before I post them on ao3.
> 
> It’s a really small server and most of the members are busy with school but I’m almost there 24/7 lol. So if you want to see the progress of my fics or see how I come up with ideas for stories or if you just want to talk, feel free to join.
> 
> https://discord.gg/whXwU8k


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